If you could travel anywhere right now, where would you go?
Most people know Nigel Barker from his nearly two decades as a photographer and judge on “America’s Top Model,” and his hosting gig (alongside Naomi Campbell) on Oxygen Network’s modeling competition series, “The Face,” but it was the famous fashion photographer, author, former model, and entrepreneur’s podcast, “The Shaken & Stirred Show,” that led to his most recent endeavor: The Barker Company. Launched in September 2024, it features ready-to-drink espresso martinis — a crafted vegan blend of 100 percent Colombian espresso, distilled vodka, caramelized brown sugar, and other premium ingredients. The English reality TV personality will be in Boston as a special guest at the Feb. 27 Espress Yourself: An Exclusive Fashionably Late Event with Nigel Barker at the Liberty Hotel. In a recent phone call, Barker, 52, said he is looking forward to an evening of fashion (featuring the creations of three Boston designers), music, food, and drinks. “The event works really well with our Espress Yourself campaign. The fashion show creations are inspired by the color of the year, which is a mocha color — Mocha Mousse — which is essentially an espresso martini color,” the London native said. “And as espresso martinis have now become the second-most-served cocktail in America, they’re very on trend, very fashionable … so we’re incorporating all these different aspects, with fashion, art, music, around the espresso martini.” The Barker Company will also debut its new ready-made cappuccino martini — the first of its kind, Barker said. “We’re excited to share it with our friends in Boston,” he said. We caught up with Barker, who lives in Woodstock, N.Y., with his wife, Cristen, their two teenage children, and a rescue dog and cat, to talk about all things travel.
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Sri Lanka. My mother is from Sri Lanka, and I would love to return to the Pearl of the Indian Ocean with my family. Sri Lanka has been through a lot recently; but it’s an extremely special place with an ancient culture and diverse environment encompassing mountains, jungles, stunning beaches, and incredible wildlife.
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Do you prefer booking trips through a travel agent or on your own?
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Historically, we book and organize our vacations, often visiting friends and family who live worldwide. That said, we have also traveled far and wide with our TV shows like “America’s Next Top Model,” which were highly curated and booked through exclusive travel agents.
Thoughts on an “unplugged” vacation?
That sounds dreamy. I often fantasize about doing just that. These days, the most unplugged we get is during our Christmas vacation down South to visit my wife’s family in Fairhope, Ala., which, by the way, has some of the most spectacular sunsets in the world.
What has been your worst vacation experience?
When I was 18 years old, I traveled to the Himalayas to trek around the Annapurna mountain range. While this trip was unbelievable and one that I have never forgotten and often reminisce about, I was bitten by a vampire bat on my ankle toward the end of the trip and got a blood infection, creating horrible boils on my legs. Upon my return home, I had to visit an infectious disease center for treatment. As a result, my nickname has been Batman ever since.
What is your favorite childhood travel memory?
When I was 15, I spent the summer in Spain living with my older brother, who was launching his fashion business in the Costa Del Sol. He had an amazing farmhouse with a pool just outside of Sotogrande near Gibraltar. I think it was particularly special as I was very independent, zipping around on a moped and living this European cosmopolitan life, going to parties, and taking weekend trips to Morocco.
Do you vacation to relax, to learn, or for the adventure of it all?
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Everything seems like an adventure, to be real. With two kids traveling the world, you are looking at things with fresh, inquisitive minds. These days, the wife and I do get a chance to get away with our friends, just the two of us, and have been frequenting Ibiza off the coast of Spain for some serious relaxation and partying.
What book do you plan on bringing with you to read on your next vacation?
I am obsessed with cocktail culture and have just launched my own pre-made espresso martini called The Barker Company, available all over Massachusetts, and love to read cookbooks and cocktail books about the places I am visiting to get a sense of the legends, myths, and culture from a gastronomic perspective.
If you could travel with one famous person/celebrity, who would it be?
I would have loved to travel with Anthony Bourdain; his ability to get to the heart of a place and live like a local is exactly what I, too, love to do.
What is the best gift to give a traveler? One of the best gifts that I have kept with me all my life is a Swiss Army knife my father gave me as a child. I always bring it with me and find I need some use for the scissors, toothpick, screwdriver, magnifying glass, blades, etc., on every trip.
What is your go-to snack for a flight or a road trip?
Nuts. I actually go and buy bags of unsalted, roasted nuts and make my own trail mix for every trip.
What is the coolest souvenir you’ve picked up on a vacation?
On “America’s Next Top Model,” my wife and I decided not to buy little trinkets from all the far-flung destinations, but rather to get one big thing. So, we have a wonderful collection of souvenirs like a gold wedding kimono from Tokyo, a massive hand-woven rug from Morocco, an ancient face mask from South Africa, wood carving from Sydney, paintings from Shanghai, etc.
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What is your favorite app/website for travel?
We really only use Expedia for travel except when we use miles — then the point.me website is really helpful to get good deals.
What has travel taught you?
It’s a big but small world out there. I have had the opportunity to visit the Arctic, the Sahara, the Amazon, and a thousand cities in between. There’s no end to the wonder of the world and to really understand where people are literally coming from.
What is your best travel tip?
Have fun and engage in the culture you are visiting.
Juliet Pennington can be reached at writeonjuliet@comcast.net.
I tested Lenovo’s new Windows handheld PC – now I’m wondering if I need any other device for travel
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